The Weekly T2 Challenge
Challenge yourself every week to be the best version of yourself! Team Challenge Every Week!
Feet are amazing aspects of anatomical architecture. Your challenge is to make sure yours are happy this week. With all the locomotion we've been doing this fall, it's natural for feet to get tired or sore. But we need to avoid injury. Make sure all your footwear (that you use for training in particular) is in good shape. Also, take a cool soak and then lay down with your legs up on the wall for a few minutes, pumping your ankles a bit as well.
This week's workouts have a LOT of challenge in them. But they focus mainly on doing a high volume of one, or just several things. Our challenge is to relax and not worry that if we aren't doing everything , all the time (this approach never works anyway) that we will somehow not be ass-kicking hard to kill Lifetime Athletes. Trust the system. Trust your talent. Dominate.
In keeping with our delightful recent theme of bodyweight exercise challenges, it's time to face the pullup. This is a function of brachiation that we humans need to retain. Too many times I hear "I can't" when pullups are mentioned. Well, I can't hear that shit because yes you can, and should, be able to do a pullup or several. Even if you are a 75 year old granny. I see so many older dudes and chicks on YouTube killing it in the gym...let's work for it as well.
The pushup, also known in our circle as the POOOSHUPP, is probably the most popular and well recognized bodyweight exercise. Now, this week, at during any workout you like...BANG OUT 100 PUSHUPS! It doesn't matter how many breaks you take, just get it done.
OK...get ready for this one. One time, as part of any workout this week, perform 2 MINUTES OF AIR SQUATS! Non-stop, no breaks, going ATG every time. Keep a slow and steady rhythm. Can you do it?
Another gear-related challenge. Make sure you have a good headlamp or flashlight with fresh batteries or a good charge. As daylight hours begin to dwindle, this will help your enjoyment and safety on the longer hikes we're using. Plus, the device(s) provides other uses.
We've discussed how endurance is highly dependent on training VOLUME. It is also, to some extent, related to high levels of GDA or general daily activity. This week's challenge is to accumulate 10,000 steps per day...in addition to your workout. In other words, don't count your training as GDA. Instead, increase your casual walks and chores to get the quota. This has powerful effects on metabolism, body composition, and sleep. And you can't bang our 70,000 steps on Sunday. It needs to be 10k per day.
This weeks challenge is indeed a bold one. In Workout A, in the Accessory section, you have 3 full minutes of dumbbell thrusters as an assignment. The program document explains that you can take breaks (use rest-pause technique) during that exercise as you need. However, I challenge you to say F**k that and just hammer hard for 3 minutes with no rest. Can you do it?
We are heading into a DELOADING WEEK. Let's focus on heart rate in two ways.
Last week we looked at high/low output cycling in the weekly workouts. Now, we're going to explore workload extension. In two workouts (any of your choosing) this week, get to the end of the Primary section, and then add 10-20% more volume (at same but not higher intensity). This is as much mental as it is physical and it's one way we build not just endurance but all-day durability in the BEAST.
It's Niner Niner! Our Weekly Challenge is SHOWING UP WITH YOUR "A" GAME. You are tasked to be ready, focused, an maximally invested in 1 each of Workouts A, B, and C this week. In the other (secondary) version of each workout, bring the B game, as in just cruise through it with a little less purpose and effort. This undulating output is nonlinear. Instead of thinking you either have to totally smash everything, or do every workout at a B+ level, go high/low in your sessions of the same letter. This is a peak performance secret and it will enable you to bump up fitness and recover better as well.
This week's challenge is one you'll find very interesting. Go out for a bonus 30 minute stroll in your neighborhood. BUT, walk the entire time by only breathing through your nose. No matter how slowly you need to go. This helps to keep you in an easy aerobic zone and stimulates parasympathetic balance in your CNS.
This week's challenge is twofold. Maintain the appreciation that you can meter your speed. Fast is not slow, but it's not always all-out. And...never lose the element of play in your movement, training, and LIFE.
This month is a 5-weeker. Consequently, we've got another high intensity opportunity. Throw down strong. Exceed your limits. Believe to achieve. Grab it and growl in those Primary segments. Be a BEAST!
We alluded to this week's challenge in the member program document for T2 WOW. Use the inspiration and example from the Olympics to make two specific goals for yourself.
This might sound like a goofy challenge, but here goes. Watch as much Olympic coverage as you can. Those shining examples of peak athletic performance will teach us how to move better and motivate us to learn, train, and win.
This week's challenge is equal parts mental and physical. It's all about PRIORITIZATION. There are two key performance indicators in this week's programming: the 100 meters on Monday and the 400 meters on Thursday. Our challenge is to make those count, and to view everything else as secondary. Instead of applying equal concentration and energy to everything, target those 2 runs as representation of what you've been working toward. You've got this!
This week our challenge is to use some of the data we have recently collected. We're going to take a look at those 100 and 200 meter times from the past two weeks. As you'll recall, we've given some estimated or approximate efforts. The 200 reached an 85% max output, and we hit 90% on the 100m. Here's the assignment:
It's mid-summer and we're in the midst of our annual focus on speed, and particularly locmotion (running and sprinting). While there are many secrets of speed, and we'll be covering a ton of them...knowing how your body likes to run, and what it's capable of right now, are both extremely important. We've actually got two challenges this week.
Now this is a great challenge! Take a watch or stopwatch to the track...or have someone there to time you. When you run those 2-200's at 80 and then 85% max effort/speed, record your times for future reference. The other part of this challenge is to not go so hard in the first rep that your second rep is slower. Really get a feel for the pacing. Sprinting while trying to hold your phone doesn't work, so that's why we're using watches.
This week's challenge is in concert with our MasterClass topic. It's all about foot speed and reducing ground contact times. Your challenge is to practice turning on transient stiffness in your foot when it hit the ground, such that it snaps down and pops off the support surface rapidly. This takes some practice but it really works.
Weekly Challenge 2024-06-24
This week's challenge is interesting, to say the least. It's a potential shopping assignment. Check to make sure your running shoes are in good shape. We're going to be doing quite a bit of track training over the next few months, and you'll need some good shoes. That's a topic we can discuss in greater detail, but if you know "your shoe" consider getting a new pair for our upcoming workouts.
Last week we had the objective of meeting some time limits during those sustained power output sandbag lifts. This week is a little different. We are going to task ourselves with making Workout C a success. This means a little extra planning and scheduling is in order to find a swimming venue, plan a hike from there, get some peeps involved, and pack a picnic. While this might sound esoteric, these sessions have ALWAYS been highlights of our groups around the country and you won't be sorry. It's worth the extra effort. You could even think of this as more of a celebration than a challenge, but give it your best shot to make it happen.